Final answer:
Henry VIII's singular desire for the Church of England was to establish himself as its head by passing the Act in Restraint of Appeals and the Act of Submission of the Clergy, leading to the ecclesiastical break with the Roman Catholic Church while keeping most Catholic doctrines and rituals intact.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sole Change Henry VIII Desired for the Church of England
The only real change that Henry VIII wanted for the Church of England was to establish himself as its head, separate from the Roman Catholic Church. This shift was primarily to gain the authority to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Influenced by advisors such as Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell, Henry enacted the Act in Restraint of Appeals and the Act of Submission of the Clergy, which effectively transferred ecclesiastical authority from the pope to the English monarch. Although doctrinal and liturgical practices remained largely Catholic, Henry dissolved the monasteries to increase the royal treasury but maintained most other traditional Catholic rituals and hierarchy within the new Anglican Church.
While the Act of Restraint of Appeals declared the king the head of the Church of England, the Act of Submission of the Clergy required English priests to pledge allegiance to the monarch's church. Despite these changes, the Anglican Church did not initially undergo significant doctrinal shifts, preserving much of the Catholic liturgy and hierarchy that existed prior to Henry's changes. It was only after Henry's death that further Protestant reforms were implemented under his children's reigns, such as Edward VI and Elizabeth I.